Constructivist Lesson Plan

A constructivist lesson plan is a guide or written statement in which a teacher explains how a material will be presented to the students, based on a constructivist philosophy. Constructivists believe is important to have hands-on experiences when teaching. They state that students learn by being presented with a situation that needs to be corrected or analyzed. It is also encouraged the participation and involvement of all different students’ views and possible approaches and solutions. Constructivist based their method of teaching, and therefore learning, on the collaboration of different members of a group to reach a common goal. They believe in the importance of solidarity and teamwork to produce a successful learning experience. There are variations inside this current. This method of learning prepares the students to real life situations. Socialization is a must for every human being, and this method spotlight the importance of every member of a group working according to their individual abilities, in order to achieve a satisfactory outcome for the whole group. Students are then encouraged to participate, which reinforces their self-esteem and the importance of cooperation. The constructivists believe this way of learning is more applicable and effective because is not based in memorization. They call attention to the fact that human beings learn better when exposed to a new and challenging experience, rather than just by declaiming facts word by word. They do not take for granted the role of the teacher as an educator, or the significance of stated information. They just believe education should be focused on the development of skills by practicing, and training of individuals to cooperate in a group and sharing of opinions and ideas. In conclusion, constructivists do not denigrate individualization, they encourage the individual to learn in a group setting, so he/she can increase his/her own talent.

Constructivist vs Behaviorist

There are many different philosophical currents that dictate methods of teaching. Some of the most common are the behaviorist and the constructivist view. To truly understand what makes them so different to one another, is necessary to recognize their main characteristics. The behaviorist learning method is composed by eight steps. The first three are no more than the establishment of objectives and main purpose of a lesson to be taught. During the third and fourth step, the teacher will present the material to the students and show them in summary what is expected to be learned, and how. The teacher then will guide the students according to the parameters of the lesson, and on the seventh step they are ready to independently practice what the teacher explained before. The last step is a summary by the teacher, and the mention of possible links to future lessons or assignments. This method is more related to what we call “old school”, meaning that the teacher gives and explore the material, and the students’ participation is directly guided by the teacher, and only seen after the teacher’s input. On the other hand, the constructivist method is divided into five procedures. During the first one, a situation will be presented to the students, and the teacher has already organized his/her materials and approaches. The students are then asked to analyze such situation either individually or in groups. The students have some freedom to explore the material and its possible applications and relations to different fields and lessons. A time for questions is also given, and then the students are encouraged to exhibit for the class what they found more interesting, applicable, or relevant about the situation presented in the first place. The lesson is ended by sharing the different aspects the students had explored, any teacher’s input if needed, and reflections about each student’s point of view and contribution to the development of the lesson. As you can see, the methods are completely different from one another, and yet both have proven to be effective when given the right circumstances and directed to students who will benefit from them. The main difference is that in the constructivist method, the teacher is merely a counselor; the situation is presented and is the responsibility of the students to explore it, look for possible solutions, and share their information. There is much more collaboration between students taught by this method. The behaviorist method is more teacher-centered, and the responsibility to develop the material relies on the teacher.

Lesson Plan

A lesson plan is nothing else but the written transference of knowledge from the teacher to the students. A constant interaction between teachers and students is necessary in the process of education, and it must be a vital ingredient in lesson planning. It is very difficult to decide which theory embraces the highest effective rate, but what we can conclude is, that even though they may differ on the methods, the final product is the same: students should obtain the most knowledge possible from the teacher. If a certain lesson was not efficient, is the teacher’s responsibility to evaluate the lesson plan for probable flaws in the way the information was presented to the students. This is another valuable use for a lesson plan; the teacher can go over it, as many times as desired, before, and after the lesson are taught, and appraise it. A young and not so experienced teacher can go through as many theorists as she/he wishes, but in the end, is that direct contact with the students what will give the needed feedback for the way the lessons are being planned. What a teacher needs to know, or take into consideration when planning a lesson, is first his/her own teaching philosophy, and the type of students to which the lesson is targeted. It is crucial to determine the importance of such a lesson; this would cover the “why” the lesson is relevant to the class. The standards for lesson planning vary from teacher to teacher. It depends not only of the teacher’s own point of view, but also on the environment, school setting, class arrangement, and values of the teacher, school, and students. The involvement of the students in every lesson relies on the lesson plan, meaning, on the teacher’s criteria. The beliefs of a teacher may defer between constructivist, behaviorist, or transpersonal; that said, the viewpoint of a teacher is reflected on the way the lessons are planned. That means is going to be a difference between two teachers with distinct philosophies planning the same lesson. The students’ participation and use of information and materials may fluctuate, but at the conclusion of such lesson, both teachers will ensure the comprehension of a lesson through means of evaluation. The teacher, regardless of the theory chosen to plan a lesson, must include a time for inquiry. As said before, a lesson can be plan with the greatest information and material. However, if it does not reach the students, if the approach of the teacher was developmentally, or culturally inappropriate, then the lesson was not effective. When a teacher is faced with this type of problem, the lesson plan can be used to describe the presentation. When reviewing his/her job, the teacher may combine several theories to create a successful lesson. Many teachers don not restrain himself or herself from inquiring from different theories when planning a lesson. Nowadays, most teachers believe in the incorporation of elements from diverse philosophies in order to reach more students. The way a lesson should be plan is uncertain. We face ourselves with many theories and elements that have proven to work. We need to consider the students, their needs, and their expectations. A good lesson plan is an accomplishment for a teacher. It means the understanding by the students, and a high-quality presentation of information. Any lesson plan shows that a teacher is prepared to teach; the more the students can learn from the way the lesson is plan, the more accurate the lesson plan is.

BIO

My name is Maria Contreras; I'm 26 years old, originally from Colombia. I have been living in Miami for over 6 years now. About 2 and half years ago, I started working with children in a day care center. To be honest, I thought it would be just a temporary thing, I never saw myself surrounded by children, not even think about becoming a teacher. After being there for a while, the children grew up on me. I was also a full time student at MDC. I graduated in AA Business Administration last August. My plan was to go the University for a bachelor's degree; however, financial difficulties had put a temporary stop on that plan. I realized that I really like my job, and the opportunity came at me to become an Early Childhood Teacher, and I took it. If everything goes right, by this time next year, I will get my AS in Early Childhood Education.
The director in the center saw my interest, and this week was my first as a lead teacher for the 3 years-old class. This has been a very exciting journey, and it's just the beginning. I plan in taking more courses on the education field. I really would like to go into the Exceptional Education program later on, but right now, I'm just taking one step at a time. My other classes are Early Childhood curriculum, survey of world literature, and human growth and development.
I have my hands full this semester, but it doesn't matter because I believe in working hard to get where you want to go in life, and that's my major goal.
About my business degree, I have to say it really help me to be where I am. Many of the classes I took for it shorten the time for my education degree, and some classes I don't have to take because the requirements were met with a higher degree (my AA). Maybe later in life I can go get a bachelor in business. I do believe is good to have more than one option on your plate, but right now, I'm focused on the education field.